The present invention relates to a slicing machine. More particularly this invention concerns an electrically powered home-type slicing machine.
A home slicing machine is known which has a generally circular blade that is rotated by an electric motor about a horizontal axis. The housing of the machine is formed with an arcuate slit from which the blade projects and is provided underneath the blade with a support surface along which a foodstuff to be sliced is slid as slices are cut off it by the blade. These slices then slip down underneath the arrangement onto a plate or the like that receives them.
It is necessary to be able to clean the blade of the apparatus when it is not being used continuously. This requires the removal of the cover plate that overlies most of the blade, leaving only an arcuate portion of its edge exposed, and also frequently requires removal of the blade for a thorough cleaning. With the cover plate removed the entire blade is exposed and the likelihood of accident is increased greatly. Furthermore, the removal of the blade in many devices requires the use of separate tools such as at least a screwdriver so that this necessary cleaning operation is done infrequently due to the complexity of removing the blade.
Another disadvantage of the known home slicers for meat, cheese, and the like is that the support plate underneath the blade along which the foodstuff is slid for slicing incorporates relatively complicated catches and mechanisms that make its cleaning difficult. Such a support plate is normally pivoted on the housing of the slicing machine so that it can be swung up out of the way when the slicing machine is not in use so that it takes up a minimum amount of space. The various pivots are frequently relatively complicated and hard to clean. Furthermore, the support plate usually has a foot that holds it up parallel to the surface on which the machine rests. This foot must pivot between a pair of positions on the outer edge of the support plate and is typically held in place by complicated and exposed catch mechanisms which also are extremely difficult to clean and, due to their exposed condition, failure prone.